MP team to oversee export infrastructure in Northeast

Agartala, May 23 (UNI) A 15-member team, comprising members from both Houses of Parliament, will visit the four Northeast states and West Bengal later this month to oversee the export infrastructure in the region.

Official sources here today said that the MP team, led by Kashiram Rana, would arrive in the region tomorrow and start by visiting Sikkim and West Bengal.

Subsequently, they visited land custom stations, airports and other business infrastructure in North Bengal, Assam, Manipur and Tripura and held meetings with the trade bodies.

''Two senior level officers of Union Commerce Ministry were also supposed to be in the team to review the export potential of the region,'' the officials said, adding that the team would visit the land custom stations at Nathu La in Sikkim and export facilities on Indo-Myanmar border at Manipur, Indo-Bangla border at Agartala and Assam.

According to sources, the Centre would send the delegation in the region to review the infrastructure facilities, followed by publication of Vision 2020 document, which had highlighted promotion of Indian investment infrastructure in partner countries, especially Myanmar in respect of ports such as Sittwe and international highways to connect the North East to ASEAN. However, the immediate priority was to build required infrastructure right up to the border areas, establishing connectivity and communication links with the cross border points, through which trade and economic exchanges with the neighboring countries were proposed to be promoted under the Look East Policy.

It has also emphasised the need for foreign investment and NRI initiatives in the region in infrastructure, education, healthcare and even agriculture and its allied activities as a priority sector, sources added.

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